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Rae
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2011 : 11:26:30
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Hello all. Guess I was lucky - got in on first try!
About two years ago, I started having problems with my balance, but it was not what I would call dizziness of the type you get from spinning in a circle or the room spinning. Just a feeling of unsteadiness or head moving, worse inside in tight quarters, better moving outside. I could snowshoe or even ride a horse bareback and not feel it. Over time, the quality has changed and it feels more like it originates in my spine. Seen neurologist, who sent me to a PT person who said it was trigger points in my neck. That may have helped some at the time.
A year ago I experienced what may have been near PTSD surrounding a medical procedure that I was terrified of and when I was treated quite coldly by the doctor and some of the nursing staff. Going for counseling afterward, I apparently expressed such anger the therapist thought I was maybe bipolar and sent me to a psychiatrist. I told her I did not want a man, but she sang the guy's praises, so I went, even though it was outside of network. He felt it was anxiety, not bipolar. After I gave that up, my PCP put me on Lexapro. I was very resistant and never took more than 7.5 mg. Then I started to note upper back, shoulder, neck discomfort, going into arms. I do a lot of physical stuff using upper body, so at first it seemed like just result of that. THen I realized the quality of the discomfort was worse. Attributed to Lexapro and went off it. Discomfort persisted.
Finally saw my PCP again, who suggested Rhodiola, which I started promptly. In a couple of days the pain (which was mostly apparent at night) was much improved. I first thought it was the herb, but then realized I had just ordered Sarno's book on recommendation of a friend. Coincidence??
So, I am reading a couple of Sarno's books and hoping to find that these symptoms are all TMS. I certainly have the personality traits described. Looking forward to these forums and others' experiences, particularly anyone who has had trouble with balance. The feelings are so hard to describe I can't even put them into words for myself, nevermind describe them adequately to a doctor, and apparently I did okay on standard reflex testing etc.
Rae |
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Hillbilly
USA
385 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2011 : 11:50:04
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Rae,
Dizziness is perhaps the most common symptom of a nervous system that is simply out of whack and making a bit of noise. I can tell from your post that you are sensitive and careful, and that most likely is a big cause of your stress.
I'd just like to encourage you to get a book called Hope and Help For Your Nerves by Claire Weekes (yes, that's spelled correctly). She has a fantastic way of describing what is happening with the body while in a prolonged period of stress, and how the chemical reactions that occur due to the troubled mentation cause us to feel badly, lack energy, have trouble sleeping, and even cause our muscles to get chronically tense and painful.
I am one who got better using her approach, mainly, but I was a wreck for many months. I had persistent pain on top of everything else, so I thought perhaps I had all sorts of conditions, but it was just one: anxiety. It seems a bit too simple for some to come to grips with this idea, but reading Dr. Weekes and a similar Dr. Abraham Low's explanations helped me wrap my head around how all these things could be happening at once, how they were harmless, and how I was constantly mentally away from where I was. The trick was to get back there and just live, which took a lot of discipline and coaching.
If there is one thing you can take heart in right off the bat, it is that your pain is mild and not disabling, as mine and many others' appear to us to be. You should be fine in a couple of months. You are definitely on the right path, so congratulations.
I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.
Ralph Waldo Emerson |
Edited by - Hillbilly on 11/11/2011 13:23:08 |
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Rae
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2011 : 12:59:00
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Thanks! I will put it on my reading list.
Rae |
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